Denialism

Author: MarkH

  • Conspiracy-targeted Campaigning from Romney

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    MarkH
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    Slate has an interesting article about Romney campaign mailings that appear to contain buzzwords for chronic Lyme disease advocates in Virginia. Romney’s plan for Lyme disease includes these two points: IMPROVE SYNERGY Ensure that government agencies have an open line of communication and work with patients, researchers, doctors, and businesses in an objective, comprehensive manner.…

  • AEI writes an honest article about ObamaCare

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    This article from the Sunday Times by AEI fellow J.D. Kleinke is exceptional for two reasons. For one, it’s an excellent explanation for why conservatives should agree with Obamacare. Second, despite coming from the American Enterprise Institute, an organization that regularly contributes global warming and other conspiratorial nonsense to the WSJ editorial page, it appears…

  • Anti-GMO study is appropriately dismissed as biased, poorly-performed

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    The anti-GMO study released late last week has raised so many bad science red flags that I’m losing count. Orac and Steve Novella have both discussed fatal flaws in the research, the New Scientist discussed the researchers’ historical behavior of inflating insignificant results to hysterical headlines. And all this new paper seems to be proof…

  • Katie Couric Picking Up Where Oprah Left Off

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    Gawker reports that on the first day of Katie Couric’s new show, Sheryl Crow discusses her theory that cell phone use caused her to have a brain tumor. Update: The Chronicle reports that the show is just a celebrity infomercial, with softball questions, and no critical discussion: You would be forgiven for mistakenly thinking you’d…

  • $15 To Turn off "Special Offers" Bravo Amazon.com!

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    With the announcement of the Kindle Fire HD, some users were upset to learn that Amazon was going to stuff “special offers” on the device. But the company quickly retreated, and now is offering the option to turn of the ads for a mere $15. This is a good development for consumers. We should have…

  • How Did You Get My Facebook?

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    MarkH
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    Facebook watchers are reporting that the service is about to launch a new feature for merchants that will allow merchants to target ads to users based upon users’ email and phone numbers. That’s a little confusing. Let me explain with a hypo– As I understand it, it might work like this: ABC Corp. has an…

  • The Crackpot Caucus

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    MarkH
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    Timothy Egan nails it, the Republican caucus is composed of crackpots and cranks. Take a look around key committees of the House and you’ll find a governing body stocked with crackpots whose views on major issues are as removed from reality as Missouri’s Representative Todd Akin’s take on the sperm-killing powers of a woman who’s…

  • Keep Akin in the race!

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    Everyone has heard about Akin’s comments about “legitimate rape” and the push now coming from the GOP to get him out of the race. But is this really fair or ideal? The problem with removing Akin from the race over this is that his gaffe was not just one exposing his scientific ignorance, but because…

  • Is Lynda Resnick's Admiration Good or Bad for Fareed Zakaria?

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    Earnest reporting or catty criticism? Fareed Zakaria, according to the Times, is on the short list of Lynda Resnick’s dinner parties, along with “Queen Noor of Jordan, George Soros, the financier, and Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California.” Is the Times’ Christine Haughney critiquing Zakaria or not? Resnick is well known for being a marketing…

  • App.net and the Free Problem

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    MarkH
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    Have you heard of App.net? If not, check it out. The basic premise is to create a social media platform that is aligned with users’ interest. And so, gasp, it costs money! The CEO, Dalton Caldwell, has a neat video explaining the inception of the project and the philosophy of the venture. Critics have said…